Mad Cow, Bird/Swine Flu, Foot and Mouth, E.coli, Salmonella, Ebola, Marburg...

[Astrocat]

mmhm, this is an unnerving one alright - i have a topic about this over at Vegans Rock already, but in short i reckon that the rational response to this would be for people to cease abuse and consumption of birds instead of farting around with vaccines and quarantining and people getting ill and not knowing how bad it will all end up and so forth.

Here's that topic (http://vegansrock.net/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?board=health_bd;action=display;num=1107749 725)

[Kevster]

Bird flu mutates and now more infectious
By Geoffrey Lean, Environment Editor
01 May 2005

Deadly bird flu is mutating to spread from person to person, bringing a disastrous global pandemic closer, experts fear.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=634680

[Kevster]

'China in national bird flu alert

Infected birds could introduce the virus along their migration routes
China has ordered nationwide emergency measures to try to stop the spread of bird flu after discovering that wild geese had been killed by the virus.'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4570197.stm

They ask the public to stop contact with poultry, i wonder if that includes eating? I suspect not.

[eve]

Bird flu virus 'close to pandemic' - expert warns estimate of 7.5m global deaths is optimistic! Full Guardian article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,14207,1492463,00.html

[eve]

Just read Dr Greger's current newsletter, and as far as bird flu is concerned, it is pretty scary. But he states at the end of the birdflu section, "So what does the poultry industry think about the possibility of its own industry leading to a worldwide epidemic that kills millions of people? The Executive Editor of Poultry magazine wrote an editorial
on that very subject in its last issue: "The prospect of a virulent flu to which we have absolutely no resistance is frightening. However, to me, the threat is much greater to the poultry industry. I'm not as worried about the US human population dying from bird flu as I am that there will be no chicken to eat."

[Kevster]

'Indonesia to cull chickens in fight against bird flu

Staff and agencies
Thursday July 21, 2005

All chickens on Indonesian farms hit by bird flu will be slaughtered in an effort to halt the spread of the virus, the country's agriculture minister said today.

The Indonesian government had previously resisted calls for a mass culling despite the disease having infected millions of chickens over the past two years. To date, only sick birds have been slaughtered.

However, after the country's first three human deaths from bird flu were confirmed yesterday, officials decided all infected birds should be culled.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,14207,1533102,00.html

And.....

'UK to stockpile bird flu vaccine

James Meikle, health correspondent
Thursday July 21, 2005
The Guardian

Britain is to buy 2m doses of bird flu vaccine to protect medical and emergency staff if the disease which is spreading through South-east Asia turns into a global pandemic.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1532887,00.html

[eve]

But there are poultry people in Indonesia who keep their sick and dead chooks out of sight to avoid being ordered to kill healthy ones that may be carrying the strain. It's going to be difficult to prevent a widespread incidence of the avian flu. I wonder if this is the way the world will end?

[eve]

Today's paper reports from Pravda that regional areas of Novosibirsk in Siberia are taking urgent measures to isolate domestic birds from migrant birds that settle on numerous lakes there. So far more than 1000 chickens have died with the H5N1 virus. Apparently Russians eat 2 million tons of poultry a year - the largest rate in the world. There have been 50 people killed by the flu since it broke out in 2003 in Asia.

Is this the revenge of the chooks?

[SpideySpirit]

Vegans/Vegetarians as a minority group are having their constitutional rites of the pursuit of happiness destroyed by those that don't adhere to the 'goldern rule' embedded in this constitution. Their desire to eat poultry is the cause of the H5N1 virus & it's variants, therefore in there pursuit of happiness they are compromising everyBODIES pursiut of happiness!! - My first post on this forum, hope it doesn't get me in trouble...lol

[eve]

Why would your post get you into trouble?:) Their desire to eat the body parts of animals is something that they probably believe is their own right - it must make them happy! Sadly all this meat-eating can only end in tragedy for so many. Of course we can't make judgments about omnivores, because most of us ate meat ourselves whilst growing up, and could have gone through life similarly blind to all the implications if something hadn't happened to wake us up. Wake up omnivores!

[SpideySpirit]

Shame we are all only preaching to the converted, perhaps the moderators should allow a few 'trolls' to wander the vegan forum.............

Don't worry Eve I have no reservations about airing my opinion, borne of years of deep philosophical reflection...hehe

Take a look at this link, I leverage the popularity of silverscreen superheroes to attempt to educate younger people of the benefits of vegetarianism

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/forums/viewthread.php?tid=2591#pid14002

[eve]

Today's Independent reports that In Russia 13,000 birds have died of the disease and 113,000 have been preventively culled. Thirty-six Russian settlements have confirmed cases of the disease, but no cases of human infection have been reported. Scientists in Europe are looking on nervously as the disease appears to have reached the Ural Mountains, the natural dividing point between European and Asian Russia, some 750 miles east of Moscow.

[forest]

From Monday in the Netherlands, five million free range chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and other birds will have to be kept indoors - along with 80 million battery birds that are already under a roof.
The country is one of the world's biggest meat exporters.
The country had to cull about a quarter of its poultry after an outbreak of bird flu two years ago.

More here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4172182.stm

[adam antichrist]

Scientists accept that bird flu will spread to the UK (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4184346.stm) carried by migatory birds. Australian authorities indicate an outbreak in australia could potentially infect 13000 employees of avian industries
(fingers crossed :D )

[eve]

The beginning of the article that you quote says: "Avian flu will inevitably spread to Britain through wild migrating birds, the president of the British Veterinary Association has warned."

Where I live there is a little township called Boonooroo that is on the water facing Fraser Island. Every year at this time thousands of tiny birds arrive in flocks from Siberia somewhere. I've been at Boonooroo when these little birds arrive after such a long journey. Let's hope they aren't carrying the virus - so keep your fingers AND TOES crossed adam! :)

[adam antichrist]

Also mutton birds migrate from siberia. But we don't know if this virus attacks all bird species, all we know is it attacks chooks, some other birds and humans. The only readily available info is that it is spread to humans through faeces, perhaps it's not a virus then? Who knows...

[StmpyElephant]

At least they are preparing i suppose...but so much of it seems guesswork until 'the event' happens. It's scary to think about but then again, the worlds probably long overdue for this kind of thing.

One can only hope that it could be controlled beforehand or it isn't as large scale as believed.

[Metalhead]

After reading the information on the following link about the inevitable spread of bird flu throughout Europe and the risk of a bird flu pandemic amongst humans, I cant understand why scientists don't come to the most logical conclusion - that we should stop farming poultry for meat and eggs? Even for those who dismiss the issues behind ethical veganism, surely the spread of these dangerous bird flu viruses should waken people up to the dangerous issues surrounding poultry farming. If poultry farming came to an end, would this not eradicate the risk of bird flu pandemics? I'm not an expert on this issue, but surely this would be a good start? Any thoughts?



After reading the information on the following link,

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/LatestNews/?AREA=LatestNews&Display=6187

[adam antichrist]

You are probably right.

It is possibly one of those situations where they take the cost of disease etc and subtract it from the profits made from farming and examine what is left over before deciding whether to carry on or not with the practise.

[Kevster]

Two stories from The Times:

'Britain's elite get pills to survive bird flu
Sarah-Kate Templeton and Jonathan Calvert
MEMBERS of Britain’s elite have been selected as priority cases to receive scarce pills and vaccinations at the taxpayers’ expense if the country is hit by a deadly bird flu outbreak.

Workers at the BBC and prominent politicians — such as cabinet ministers — would be offered protection from the virus. '

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1753892,00.html

And:

'Focus: Atishoo, Atishoo, we all fall down?
Focus: A deadly bird flu, lethal to some animals, is spreading towards Britain. How serious is the threat to humans and what can be done to counter it? Jonathan Calvert, Sarah-Kate Templeton and Will Iredale report
It is the drug of the moment and Ken Livingstone, the London mayor, has ordered 100,000 courses of it. Several British companies are believed to be building stockpiles. Some individuals are said to be paying three times the retail price trying to buy illicit supplies through overseas websites.'

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,2087-1753479,00.html

[adam antichrist]

There isn't yet a case I am aware of where the virus has been picked up by someone not directly involved with the farming or production of birds. This means hopefully that god hates KFC and will punish everybody who provides cruelty I mean produce for such industries. :D

Have I mentioned yet that if you took the carcasses of chooks killed worldwide by KFC in a single 12 hour period and placed them on top of one another they would reach the moon?

[andesuma]

mmhm, this is an unnerving one alright - i have a topic about this over at Vegans Rock already, but in short i reckon that the rational response to this would be for people to cease abuse and consumption of birds instead of farting around with vaccines and quarantining and people getting ill and not knowing how bad it will all end up and so forth.

Here's that topic (http://vegansrock.net/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?board=health_bd;action=display;num=1107749 725)


But the drug companies have to make money!!!
How would they make any money by simply telling people to stop consuming animals??? they wouldn't, which is there current logic at this point.
And certainly they are not expecting people to think for themselves..
god forbid....

And these pharmacutical companies are so money hungry, they'll kill as many people as they need to, to get it.
unfortunately it's all very short-sighted..

; )

[Kevster]

'Bird flu closes Indonesian zoo
By Rachel Harvey
BBC News, Jakarta
19 September 2005.

A zoo in the Indonesian capital Jakarta has been temporarily closed after some exotic birds were found to have contracted avian flu.

The zoo remained open at the weekend but closed on Monday for three weeks.

The latest wave of bird flu has already killed four people in Indonesia, and dozens throughout South East Asia. [...]'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4259512.stm

[catmogg]

You are probably right.

It is possibly one of those situations where they take the cost of disease etc and subtract it from the profits made from farming and examine what is left over before deciding whether to carry on or not with the practise.

Just like ford did when he put a bunch of death trap cars on the market. He didn't bother reacalling them when they were found to be faulty because that would cost more than just paying out compensation money to the bereaved...:( :(

[Kevster]

'Indonesia 'facing bird flu epidemic'

Staff and agencies
Wednesday September 21, 2005

The Indonesian health minister today warned that the country could be on the brink of a bird flu epidemic after another two children suspected to have contracted the virus died.

The children - girls aged five and two - had shown symptoms of the disease, but health officials said they were still waiting for test results to confirm the causes of death.

If bird flu is confirmed as the reason, the girls will be the fifth and sixth Indonesians to die of the virus, all of them in unexplained circumstances. The H5N1 virus has killed at least 60 people in Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia since November 2003.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/indonesia/Story/0,2763,1575008,00.html